Things You Make Me See
By Marjan Shokouhi
I have seen joy clad in moonlight fur
Walking briskly above our heads;
Your back turned to me, I counted
The freckles that give your skin a mellow taste.
You may not remember
But you gave me the deliciousness of the summer air
Thick as cream topped on my morning coffee
You know but you never admit
That it was you who stretched the night over my skin
And told me to go to sleep.
Today when I woke up I saw the atoms in the air,
The crease on your side of the pillow,
The fingerprints on the window sill,
The dust on the mantelpiece.
You swallow my days like a monster in the woods
And once you’re gone, I have it all back —
Time stretched to the ends of the planet;
I have moments to spare, moments
Left on their own twinkle by in front of me.
I can now tidy up and wash my hair
Iron some shirt and dust the furniture
And with time still left on my hands,
I regurgitate parts of yesterday.
